Trestle



(N0 ModeLj- JOHN MELCHER & JOSEPH MELCHER. TRESTLE.

No. 453,200. Patented June 2,1891.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J OHN MELCHER AND JOSEPH hilELCI-IER, OF MENASHA, \VISCONSIN.

TRESTLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 453,200, dated June 2, 1891.

Application filed April 14., 1890. Serial No. 347,768. (No model.)

To a whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JOHN MELOHER and JOSEPH MELCHER, citizens of the United States, residing at Menasha, in the county of WVinnebago and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Trestles, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to trestles for the use of carpenters, joiners, plasterer's, painters, and other mechanics; and the object of our improvement is to provide a trestle which can be constructed at a small cost, is light in weight, and can be easily and quickly arranged at different elevations, thereby rendering unnecessary alarge number of trestles of different heights for the numerous uses for which they are required in building and other mechanical etnployments. WVe attain these objects by the construction shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an end view of a trestle, the heavy lines showing it in its contracted form and adapted for use as a common carpenters saw-horse, and the dotted lines showing it expanded to its extreme height for other uses. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same, showing it in like contracted and expanded forms. Fig. 3 is a view representing three of the trestles, one arranged upon and above the other two, and all expanded to their extreme height for the purpose of showing their adaptation when so arranged for greater heights than one trestle will reach. Fig. at is a top view of a metallic socket-piece into which the legs of the trestle and also the depending bar or leg of the connecting-bar 2 are inserted; Fig. 5, a vertical section of the same upon the line a a of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a modification in the construction of the trestle which we prefer for light work, and Figs. 7 and 8 are details of said modification.

Similar figures of reference indicate like parts in the several views.

1 represents the trestle-legs; 2, a bar for connecting two pairs of trestle-legs; 3, a bar or leg'depending from said connecting-bar; 4, a socket-piece having three openings or sockets, the two outer ones for receiving each atrestle-leg 1-, and the inner one a bar or leg 3 of the connecting-bar 2. 5 is a brace secured to the connecting-bar and a leg of said heavy class of trestles may be cast with connecting-webs 4", as shown in Fig. 4, or only ribs 4" be formed upon the longsides of the socket-piece and projecting therefrom approximately as far as the dotted line Z) 1).

Both sides of the socket-piece being so formed, it will be of less weight than if webs extend across the openings.

The outer sockets l when constructed of metal, as represented in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, are made tapering, being wider at their lower than at their upper end, and the legs 1 are fitted closely and driven therein, where they are secured by a screw or pin 7. The socket 3 has parallel sides, and the bar or leg 3 of the connecting-bar is fitted to slide freely therein. It is provided with a pin-hole and pin 6, each leg having several holes 6 for receiving said pin, and by means of which the connecting-bar may be held at such an elevation in the socket as the particular use of the trestle demands. The connecting-bar is fitted with two legs or bars and each one firmly secured by the braces 5, said braces being made of wood or metal, as preferred, the former being generally better adapted for all parts of the trestles except as in the case of a heavy class of trestles, when, as before mentioned, the socket-piece 4 is formed of metal, as are also the pins, bolts, 850., used in uniting the several parts. When said socketpiece is constructed of wood for the lighter class of trestles, as shown in Fig. 6, it is formed of two similar side pieces 4 i, a web or filling-piece 4', of a like thickness as the legs for the same, is fitted between said sides, and the legs 3, inserted when they are all secured together with bolts or other appropriate fastenings, as shown in Fig. 6. This construction of the socket is shown in a top view of it, Fig. 7, Fig. 8 being a sectional view'of the same upon the line 0 0. These trestles can be made of any size desired to meet the demands of the purpose for which they are to be used and are equally well adapted for the use of carpenters and joiners as a saw-horse or for the construction of stagings of various heights, as required in the Various branches of building operations. Being quickly adjusted for different heights,theysupplyalarge field of usefulness, making a large number of trestles of various sizes uncalled for. Their combination together and arrangement one above another, as shown in Fig. 3, will suggest to the mechanic other arrangements in which they may be placed to meet the demands for which trestles are required in mechanical industries.

Having described our invention and the manner of constructing and using the same, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A socket-piece for a trestle for mechanics and builders use, having three rectangular sockets arranged side by side and in the same vertical plane, its central one having parallel sides and being adapted to receive a leg or bar having one or more holes, and a pin or bolt therefor, whereby said leg or bar may be retained at any determined point thereof within said socket, two sides of the outer sockets of said socket-piece being convergent and each of said outer sockets being adapted to receive a trestle-leg having one end with corresponding converging sides, substantially as described.

2. The combination, in a trestle for mechanics and builders use, of two socket-pieces, as 4 4, each socket-piece having three rectangular sockets therein, the central one having parallel sides, a connecting-bar having two legs or bars depending therefrom, each of said legs or bars being adapted to enter and slide freely within one of said sockets and having one or more holes, and a pin or bolt therefor, whereby said legs or bars may be retained at any determined point thereof within said sockets, two sides of the outer sockets of said pieces being convergent and each socket having a trestle-leg therein, one end thereof having sides converging correspondingly with the converging sides of said out-er sockets, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, in a trestle for mechanics and builders use, of two socket-pieces, each of said socketpieces being provided with three sockets arranged side by side and in the same vertical plane, each socket-piece having a rectangular socket with parallel sides centrally located therein, a connecting-bar having two legs or bars depending therefrom, each of said legs or bars being adapted to enter and slide freely in one of said central sockets and being provided with one or more holes, and a pin or bolt therefor, whereby said leg or bar may be retained at any determined point thereof within said central socket, the outer sockets of each socket-piece diverging from said central socket and each one having a supporting-leg bolted thereto, substantially as described.

JOHN MELCHER. JOSEPH MELCHER.

\Vitnesses:

Jos. L. FIEWEGER, HARRY DE WOLF. 

